“Get it out of your system, buddy!” the man said.

  I coughed up more liquid, then sat back, finally able to breathe in some fresh air. Except the air wasn’t fresh. It was dusty, dry, and carried a metallic taste with it. Doug had said Terranova was a pleasure world where the Empire’s faithful wined, dined and indulged – surely the air would taste better than this.

  “Are you able to walk? The longer we’re in the open, the more likely we are to draw suspicion.”

  I nodded, and the man helped me up.

  “Come on, let’s go!” he said, leading me away.

  The two Insurgency members took me through a maze of corridors. The duration of our walk led me to believe that the facility was vast, and when coupled with its industrial design, it seemed less and less likely that I was on a “pleasure world.”

  Rounding the next corner, a large set of doors opened at our approach. It was much brighter outside than in, and my eyes adjusted after a few moments. Large fields full of soldiers training stretched out before me. Between the training grounds stood rows of buildings, some looking like factories producing vehicles and weapons, whilst others appeared to be barracks and offices. I’d heard many a story of Ares, the neighbouring world to Gaia, and the current view looked just as the tales had described – not that I could be sure, having never been to Ares.

  “What world is this?” I asked.

  “There’s no time for questions –” the man glanced around, “– we need to get to a safe house.”

  “What world is this?” I asked again, feeling the darkness stir within me as my anger grew.

  “Seriously, no time. We can answer your questions once we get somewhere secure.”

  “Enough!” snarled the voice within. I wanted answers, and I knew who could get them.

  “You will answer me!” the darkness commanded. “What world are we on?”

  The man’s face looked confused as an unfamiliar authority emanated from my voice, and after a moment’s hesitation, he said,

  “Astarte … we’re on the planet Astarte!”

  “Ah – Astarte! Good to be back …”

  I was still on the wrong planet, but at least I’d moved in the right direction – closer to Amorina instead of further away. As the man pulled me away, I clenched my fists – the Insurgency has some explaining to do.

  ***

  As the door to the safe house closed behind us, I turned towards the Insurgency members. A third individual had joined them.

  “The Insurgency promised me a ride to Terranova in exchange for delivering the key – why the hell am I on Astarte?” I asked perplexedly.

  “Honestly, I don’t know, buddy. We were told you’d be coming here with a key and then to send you onwards to Terranova. If you got told something different, sorry, but that wasn’t my doing.”

  “So, wait, you were told to send me to Terranova?”

  “Yes! As soon as you hand over the key, we’ll take you back to the transport hub and get you on a ‘Nova bound ride.”

  “He lies …”

  I didn’t trust them, but I couldn’t see myself getting off-world easily without their help. I pulled the key out from my left-hand jacket pocket and held it up. The lady took it from me, walking across the room and plugging the key into a terminal on a gun. A small LED strip on the gun turned from red to green.

  “The key to the kingdom works! We’ve got access to every weapon on the planet!” she said.

  “Great. You’ve got it – now, get me to a Terranova transport, please!”

  The two male members stepped forward, grabbing me by my arms and dragging me towards the door.

  “Wait! What are you doing?” I scrambled about trying to dig in my feet and halt their forward motion.

  “Following our instructions.”

  With a coordinated shove, the men pushed me out onto the street.

  “What about Terranova!”

  “Yeah, we lied about that – not our problem, buddy.”

  And with that, the door to the safe house closed.

  “Told you …”

  What now, I wondered, knowing I wasn’t going to be able to break the door down. Before I could decide on a course of action, the sound of marching feet echoed through the street. A patrol was coming. I glanced around and spotted an external stairway with some crates underneath. I ran over and sat behind the boxes, waiting. A minute later, two dozen soldiers marched past, kicking up the dust as they walked by. It hit the back of my throat, creating an irritation. With the soldiers still in earshot, I fought to stifle a cough. Another minute passed, and I finally let the tickle free, hacking up the discoloured gunk.

  I needed a plan. “Hey, Bitsy – you with me?”

  My watch unwrapped itself from my wrist, transforming into my little companion.

  *Hello! I am with you.*

  “That’s good. I – I need your help. I’m on the planet Astarte, but that’s about all I know.”

  Bitsy jittered in my hand for a few moments.

  *Astarte, a military world for the Empire, named after the ancient near eastern goddess of war and sexual love. Located at the edge of the Inner Rim, its closest neighbour is Terranova.*

  “Are there transports that go between Astarte and Terranova?”

  *Yes – every day. The journey takes about two days.*

  I opened my mouth to ask about the subsequent transport, but Bitsy’s display continued.

  *The next transport leaves this afternoon, in a few hours.*

  Smart little guy, I thought, pre-empting my questions.

  “Can you reserve me a space, please?”

  *Of course. I’ll modify your travel documents as well.*

  “What travel documents?”

  *The ones that Arty forged for you. I made a copy.*

  “Thank you, Bitsy! One last thing …”

  *I’ll revert to watch mode and display travel directions to the transport hub as you go.*

  The jailbreaking treatment that the Insurgency had provided was proving quite helpful.

  “Thank you,” I said, smiling as Bitsy wrapped itself around my wrist once more.

  As the first set of directions scrolled across its display, I stood and began to follow them. Fuck the Insurgency, I thought, they wouldn’t help me, but I didn’t need them to – I’d make my own damn way to Terranova, save my girl, and return home. Simple, right?

  ***

  The walk back to the transport hub was quieter and less urgent than the earlier journey. I took in the world as I walked, trying to understand the sights and sounds it produced. The background noise was constant but varied as you moved through the different areas: a mix of mechanical sounds from the factories rumbling and hissing, and organic sounds from the soldiers shouting and grunting during their drills. Similarly, the air would reek of burnt metal and oil as I passed by the forges but stink of blood and sweat as I walked near the training fields. To me, a world utilised like this was sad and wasteful. I’d grown up on a farming world, filled with greenery and life, growing food that sustained lives. But here, these men and machines had one purpose: to take life, to destroy it.

  “Your viewpoint is so narrow. Limited by the brief flash of life you’ve experienced. To me, this world is beautiful.”

  If you say so, I thought, but tell me, how is this beautiful?

  “This rumbling, industrious world is the end product of a system that obeys without question, working without reward, a ceaseless war machine that shall provide the key to victory.”

  Before I could argue the point any further with the darkness, a door up ahead flew open, and an officer came flying out, losing his footing on the top step and crashing to the ground.

  “Get out, stay out, and don’t come back until you have some useful fucking information!” a familiar voice screamed from within the building.

  The officer cringed as the door slammed shut, and he proceeded to wipe blood off his face.

  I stepped behind a corner, moving out of sight, and watched as the officer picked himself up and stumbled down the street. Once he’d gone, I moved closer to the building. I could hear voices from within and noticed one of its windows was ajar.

  “The quality of these junior officers has gone to shit recently.”

  That was the Commander. The frigate he’d mentioned departing on had been the same one my dropship had travelled with – both bound for the same destination.

  “His information was valid,” a second voice said, perhaps belonging to another officer.

  “Valid, yes, but also incomplete. I cannot act upon half-assed info!”

  “It’s the tenth report of forged travel documents we’ve had this month alone – the Insurgency is growing increasingly active, right under our noses. But still, we struggle to find and extinguish them.”

  “Granted, they’re an annoyance, but that is all they are – I doubt they’ve any real power.”

  “What if they’ve got an ace they’re just waiting to play at the opportune moment?”

  “Then we’ll counter it. The Empire has held power for over one hundred years for a reason.”

  “Yes, but the Insurgency’s previous efforts affected us far less than a move might do now – they cannot be allowed to disrupt the invasion.”

  “Don’t worry. The United Earth Republic will fall; Mars and Earth will belong to the Empire at long last, all of humanity united under a single banner. We cannot fail. They have a splattering of forces provided by their member states; we have two planets dedicated to creating an army.”

  “But what if …”

  “No!” the Commander yelled, slamming something. “There is no what if! There is only victory!”

  The room fell silent, but the darkness piped up.

  “The invasion lives!”

  My heart clenched at the thought that the darkness knew of the invasion, another unexplained stain from my past. It was a bold move to invade Earth and Mars, and given the industrial scale of this world and the fact that it was one of two military worlds, it seemed plausible that the Empire could do it. And if the Republic were gone, the Empire’s power would be absolute. I’d seen what it was like to live under that control, and I cringed at the thought of the Republic’s freedoms disappearing.

  “I’m not questioning you, sir, but what assurances do we have against the Insurgency?”

  “The element of surprise. The Ares fleet will be arriving here tomorrow. When it does, travel will be suspended between the Empire’s worlds. The Insurgency will not be able to send out physical messages. As they grow desperate, they’ll use their digital channels, and then we’ll know what their next moves are. With their counter plans crippled, we’ll strike earlier than intended.”

  “How much earlier?”

  “Seven months from now.”

  “That’s … that’s an entire year ahead of schedule. Why’ve things been moved up?”

  “The Emperor has commanded that it be so.”

  “Did he deliver the command himself, or did it come via the voice puppets again?”

  “The advisors delivered the command, as usual.”

  “I’m telling you – the emperor is dead, and the advisors are running the show until his son comes of age!”

  Concerningly, the darkness slowly chuckled, which it had never done before.

  “I’ve told you before, Marshall, I will not indulge your conspiracy theories. Until proven otherwise, the emperor is alive and simply avoiding the public eye.”

  My mind swirled at all of this new information. The emperor, the emperor’s son, the advisors, hastened plans and amassing forces – it was a lot to process. If all transport were blocked from tomorrow onward, the Insurgency would only have a small window to get this news to their leaders. Despite their betrayal, I knew I couldn’t stand by as the Republic fell to the Empire.

  I crept away from the window, rounding the corner quickly, where I ran into someone.

  “Watch it!”

  “My apologies!” I replied, realising it was the officer who’d gotten thrown out earlier.

  “Why are you in such a hurry? Where’d you come from?” the young officer asked.

  “Ah … nowhere, really, I was just, um … walking, out for a walk, yes. Yes, I was walking. Quickly.”

  “What’s your rank and station, soldier?”

  “Ah … Corporal of Munitions station – obviously.”

  As I spoke, I cringed internally. For all the authority that the darkness commanded, I projected none by comparison.

  I heard the door open behind me. If the Commander saw my face, he’d undoubtedly recognise me. I sucker punched the young officer, delivering an uppercut into his solar plexus. As he collapsed, I turned and ran down the street – if I could lose the officers, I could warn the Insurgency.

  I raced off down the street, but before long, I could hear his footsteps and laboured breathing behind me. I pushed harder, and the sounds grew fainter. I’d made it!

  Suddenly an arm stretched out in front of me, clotheslining me.

  My head stopped, but my legs kept moving forward – lifting off the ground in front of me. As the momentum kept my legs swinging up, I found myself looking at the sky. My arms started cartwheeling as I fell back towards the earth. The air was pushed from my lungs as I landed with a thud, accompanied by the sound of the joints in my back cracking. As the dust kicked up by my collision with the ground settled and I worked to catch my breath, I looked up at the figure standing over me.

  “Well, well, well … who have we got here.”

  Chapter 6

  “Where Do You Think You’re Going?”

  2148, Common Era – Planet Astarte, Inner Rim, Tynan Empire

  The officers dragged me back to their office and bound me to a chair in the centre of the room. No one said a thing, but I could see that the junior officer was itching to say something. As the minutes passed us by, he finally gave in.

  “This is the man from the forged documents that I told you about earlier, sir!”

  “I know,” sneered the Commander.

  The room fell silent again. I decided to try my luck at a bluff.

  “So guys, listen, I’m sure this has all just been some misunderstanding – I’ve got places to be; surely we can work something out?”

  The Commander turned to look at me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Terranova.”

  “Why would you be going there?”

  “Ah, you know … to have a pleasurable experience.”

  “If you were heading for Terranova, you’d have gone straight there from Machina Station, so why are you here?”

  “A ticket mix-up, of all things! The travel agent fucked up. Typical, right?” I said with a shrug.

  “You aren’t used to lying, are you?”

  “Lying? Who’s lying? I’m not lying!”

  The Commander rushed forward, grabbing the chair and tilting it backwards so that it hung on the precipice of falling over.

  “Stop lying to me! I am not a fool and will not be treated as such!” With a little nudge, he let go, allowing me to topple over.

  I tilted my head forward, sparing it from impact as I hit the floor.

  “Right,” the Commander said calmly, “let’s try this again. Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I am genuinely going to Terranova.”

  “Is the Insurgency sending you there?”

  “The what now?”

  I suddenly found myself righted and face to face with the Commander.

  “The Insurgency. Did they send you?”

  Not to Terranova, I thought.

  “No. They didn’t.”

  The Commander narrowed his eyes. “Where’d you get the forged documents from?”

  “They were given to me by a stranger, on Gaia.”

  “Why?”

  “So that I could get Amorina back.”

  “Who?”

  “One of the women you seized from Gaia.”

  “Oh right – the one you got beaten for,” the Commander said, grabbing my broken nose.

  “Aaarrrggghhh!”

  “She must be quite something for you to go chasing her across the galaxy. Most men would’ve simply found another wench to warm the bed.”

  “You’re fucking disgusting, you know that?”

  The Commander’s fist smashed into the side of my face. I turned back towards him, spitting a tooth and bloodied saliva onto the floor. Inside, the darkness stirred.

  “Enough of this …”

  Not now! I thought, trying to hold it back.

  “Had enough …”

  Me too! But you can’t help, so shut up!

  “No … had enough!”

  I felt the darkness surge through my mind, seizing control.

  “Commander Nathaniel Benjamin Moore of the Tynan Armies second division.”

  The blood drained from the Commander’s face.

  “How do you know my name?”

  A taunting chuckle that carried an undertone of malice left my mouth.

  “Oh, I know so much more about you than just a name.”

  “You’re bluffing.”

  “How’s your wife … Samantha, doing? Or your daughter … sweet little Julia?”

  A look of recognition flashed across the Commander’s face.

  “It can’t be …”

  “Oh … but you know it is,” the darkness said, letting out another slow, menacing chuckle.

  “I need to make a call. Keep a close eye on him,” the Commander said, striding from the room.

  As soon as he was out of sight, the darkness relinquished control, slipping back into the dark recesses of my mind.

  The remaining two officers watched me closely. I wondered what they were thinking. What they thought of their commander, crumbling before the words of a stranger, a nobody. Did they fear me, as he did? Were they worried that I somehow knew who they were too? That I could name their wives and their children?

  The Commander's voice rumbled through the wall, enough to disrupt the silence but too low to hear any words.

  “Who the fuck are you?” asked the junior officer.

  I glanced at the senior officer, who simply looked away – he knew better.